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Cornell undergraduates with only a few classes remaining may be eligible to apply for the Early Admit Pathway to the Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) degree. This option allows you to get a head start on your M.Eng. coursework and potentially complete your degree on an accelerated timeline.
Early Admit (EA) students have a head start in transitioning to professional master’s status and can fully engage in their subsequent experience as a Master of Engineering student. Students from any undergraduate college at Cornell may apply as long as they meet the eligibility requirements.
Note: Early Admission is only an option for the Ithaca-based M.Eng. programs and not for the Cornell Tech M.Eng. programs.
Eligibility for Early Admission
To be eligible for early admission to the M.Eng. program, you must:
- Apply before your final undergraduate semester.
- Need 8 or fewer credit hours to complete your bachelor’s degree during your final undergraduate semester, including any special designations (double major, minor, Honors, etc.).
- Demonstrate the academic aptitude, maturity, professionalism, and commitment that are expected of all M.Eng. students.
- Meet all prerequisites and other admissions requirements of your intended Master of Engineering program.
- Apply and be admitted to the M.Eng. program in the semester prior to the start of your Early Admit semester.
Planning for Your Early Admit Semester
- Start planning for the Early Admit Pathway as soon as possible. Talk to your undergraduate advisor and schedule an appointment with the M.Eng. Director or coordinator to discuss your plans.
- You will maintain official status as an undergraduate student until you receive your bachelor’s degree. If you receive undergraduate financial aid, please contact the Financial Aid Office at finaid@cornell.edu to discuss your plans for Early Admission since there may be potential implications for your financial aid package.
In planning your course schedule, please note:
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Carry-Forward Credit
Early Admit students may carry forward a maximum of 15 credits into the M.Eng. degree program.This includes graduate-level credits completed during the Early Admit semester and any graduate-level transfer credits completed prior to the Early Admit semester.
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No Double-Counting
Any 5000+ level coursework that counts towards the undergraduate degree may not also be counted towards the M.Eng. degree.
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Transfer Credit
Programs may allow up to nine transfer credits for graduate coursework taken prior to the Early Admit semester. Check with your program of interest to see if this is possible.
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Enrollment Limit
M.Eng. students may not enroll in more than 20 credits in a semester. This is a hard limit.
You should plan to complete at least 10 M.Eng. credits by the end of your Early Admit semester. Otherwise, it may take longer than one additional semester to complete your M.Eng. degree.
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On your Cornell transcript, the grades for all courses that you take during your Early Admit semester will factor into your undergraduate cumulative GPA, even though the credit for some of these courses may be counted towards your M.Eng. degree.
Early Admission Application Process
To be considered, you will need to complete each of these required steps:
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Complete an application for admission to the M.Eng. degree program online through the Graduate School.
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Complete the Early Admit Pathway Petition Form (PDF), ensuring you have obtained all of the necessary signatures from your undergraduate advisor(s).
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Upload the completed Early Admit Pathway Petition Form (PDF) to the online petition form.
Application Deadlines and Program-Specific Requirements
To pursue Early Admission, you must apply and be admitted to the M.Eng. program in the semester prior to the start of your Early Admit semester.
Review the information on the admissions webpage for the M.Eng. program of your choice for application deadlines and requirements specific to your field.